


Sleep Don't Come Easy

by nightlight9



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Anchors, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, M/M, Mates, Pack in College, Police Officer Derek, Stiles Stilinski Takes Care Of Derek Hale, alcohol mention, bed sharing, secret santa gift, the betas are alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-13 04:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12975660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlight9/pseuds/nightlight9
Summary: Derek hasn’t been able to sleep for more than a few hours a night for months, and nothing that he’s tried has helped his insomnia go away. He can’t even pinpoint what triggered it. All he knows is that, at this point, he might as well stay awake until sheer exhaustion either knocks him out or kills him to relieve itself.Luckily, with Stiles’ help, neither of those things happen. And Derek learns something about mates along the way.





	Sleep Don't Come Easy

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is for @azurarainstuff on tumblr. I had a blast writing the connection between Stiles and Derek! I hope you like how everything came together. Enjoy!

It’s 3:14 in the morning, and Derek is making tea. The kitchen tiles are cold beneath his bare feet as he waits for the kettle to heat up, but he hardly notices the discomfort. It’s been 26 hours since he’s had any sleep, longer since he’s had more than four hours in a row, and the world is starting to blur a little. Part of Derek hopes that the lemon and lavender tea will help. The rest knows that that’s only wishful thinking. 

At this point he might as well stay awake until sheer exhaustion either knocks him out or kills him to relieve itself.

The thing is, he shouldn't have any problems falling asleep. Things are good, and they have been for years. The pack is finally stable, Beacon Hills has calmed down, Derek has a job he enjoys, a house on the edge of the preserve, and a garden that would make his father proud. He doesn’t have to worry about anything.

And yet, here he is, standing alone in the dark, trying to remember what being happy or content feels like. 

It started a few months ago, the restlessness. Derek doesn’t know what triggered it, and even though he knows it might help to tell someone about what’s happening, he’s kept it mostly to himself. Sure, some of his friends have been able to pick up on the bags under his eyes that even his werewolf healing can’t erase. And yes, some of them have commented on how off he’s been recently. But he hasn’t explained the full extent of his insomnia to anyone. Not even to his therapist, which he knows he should. He just doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want them to think things are bad with him again. 

It helps that the majority of the pack is still away at college so they aren’t constantly around badgering him about getting some sleep. And those that did stay in Beacon Hills give Derek his space by not bringing it up. Even Erica pinches her lips together and remains silent. The worry in her eyes is evident, but Derek appreciates that she’s trying. 

When the kettle begins whistling, it takes Derek a few seconds to register the sound. Pouring the hot water in his tea pot, he carries the whole thing into the living room and settles it on the coffee table. Relaxing into his favorite recliner, Derek tips his head back, and closes his eyes while waiting for the tea to seep.

He gets two and a half hours of sleep that night. 

\-----------

“Derek.” Boyd’s expression, usually calm and comforting, is full of concern as he stares at his alpha from across the table. Their usual waiter, Eli, is standing at the table, looking equally concerned. Derek didn’t even notice that he had come to take their orders. “Just bring him the usual,” Boyd tells Eli, not taking his eyes off of Derek’s hunched form. The human boy pauses a moment longer, before nodding and scurrying away.

As soon as he’s gone, Boyd pounces. “Derek, this has gone too far. Erica has been pleading with me to bring it up to you for weeks, and she’s been worried about it for longer than that. I thought you just needed some space to work whatever it is out. But this is too much. You need some sleep. You need to talk to someone about what’s going on.”

Pinching his eyes together, Derek leans his head against the back of the booth. He doesn’t have the right words to explain it to Boyd, doesn’t know how to articulate the void he’s feeling that makes sleeping impossible. All he can say is, “I don’t know what’s happening, Boyd.” His beta makes a disbelieving noise, so Derek barrels on. “I haven’t been able to sleep for more than a few hours for months, and I don’t know why. Nothing that I’ve tried has helped. All I know is that I can’t-. No matter what I’ve done, nothing makes it any easier.”

The truth of his words makes Boyd deflate. Neither of them really know what to say to that. Finally, trying make light of something neither of them understands, Derek jokes, “I’m surprised Erica didn’t pounce on me herself. It’s not like her to send someone else to do her bidding.”

Boyd laughs. “I wouldn’t let her do it,” he explains, sipping at his drink. “I didn’t think that having her talk to you would help at all.”

Derek appreciates it. And from the fond smile Boyd shoots him, Derek knows that he understands. Unfortunately, understanding doesn’t change anything at all. 

\------------

Four nights later, Derek is still awake. It’s not much of a surprise; at this point he’s used to it. 

What he isn’t used to though, is having Isaac walk through the front door at 1:40 in the morning. His eyes look a little blurry, and when Derek asks what he’s doing, all he gets is a grumble in response. 

Everything gets more confusing when Erica and Boyd stroll into the house after him with an armful of blankets. Before he can ask what they’re up to, Erica grabs ahold of his wrist and tugs him over to where Boyd is setting the blankets in piles on the living room floor.

“What’s going on?” Derek wonders if he’s reached the point where he’s started to hallucinate.

“We thought maybe having the pack around would make it easier for you to relax,” Erica explains as she pulls him to the floor. Isaac has already flopped facedown onto the blankets, but he rolls his body closer to them after they’re settled down. Boyd joins them, curling his body around Erica’s and patting at Derek’s arm.

Having the betas so close is nice. Isaac falls asleep first, which isn't a surprise. Boyd is next, his heartbeat trailing off into a soft putter. Erica watches Derek with eyes half-closed and tries to stay awake with him. But having her packmates so close makes staying awake impossible for her. 

Derek smiles at them all, thankful for what they're doing even though it doesn’t work. 

When Erica gets up in the morning and Derek is still awake, her scent turns sour with sadness and disappointment. Opening his arms, Derek allows her to tuck her body against his. Isaac rolls closer, burying his face in Derek’s side. Boyd’s legs twine together with his as he throws an arm over Erica’s waist. And it’s nice. But it’s not enough.

\----------

Jordan tries to get him drunk. They’ve been out a few times together after a long shift at the station, stopping at Bane, a bar that tends to more supernaturally inclined folks. But his partner has never been so adamant about Derek drinking before.

“I don’t really need another beer,” Derek tries to tell him after Neptune, the bartender, takes his order.

Jordan pats him on the back and says, “Yeah, man, I really think you do.”

Before he can protest more, Neptune slides the drink over the counter, eyebrows raised like Derek is going to try and turn it down. He sighs at both of them before taking a long drag from the bottle. After all, who is Derek to complain if Jordan is the one buying.

It doesn’t occur to him until three drinks later what he’s trying to do. “You know,” he slurs in Jordan’s direction, wondering how he didn’t see it before. “This isn’t going to work.”

Smiling at Derek over his glass of water, Jordan shrugs. “We’ll see. All I’m saying is that, if it does, you’re going to owe me at least two rounds the next time we go out.”

Sticking his tongue out at him, Derek doesn’t even care that he looks foolish. He just turns his attention back to his drink, wonders when another full beer was pressed between his hands, and sips at the bottle.

Derek sleeps six hours that night, and wakes up with the hangover from hell. He’s not sure that counts as a win.

\----------

Stiles turns up on a Thursday a few weeks later, just after Derek’s finished serving himself dinner. He has to knock a few times before Derek registers the sound, which is more than a little concerning for an alpha werewolf. But in the last three days, he’s only had five hours of sleep, so Derek thinks his lack of awareness can be excused.

He never expects that it will be Stiles on his doorstep though, even after he recognizes his familiar scent through the door. For one thing, the younger man is supposed to be at school halfway across the country. He should be studying for midterms or working on his senior thesis. He shouldn’t be here. For another, Derek hasn’t even talked to Stiles in several weeks. The last time they spoke, Derek had sent Stiles a picture of the impromptu puppy pile that formed in his living room with the betas. Aside from that, communication has been scarce. It doesn’t make sense that Stiles would show up so suddenly.

“You look like hell,” Stiles says as he pushes past Derek into the house. There’s an edge in his voice, one that indicates anger, which Derek can’t understand. Sure, he may be exhausted, but it’s not like he would forget if anything important was going on. Especially if Stiles was involved. All Derek can do after he disappears through the doorway into his kitchen is gape at him for a moment and then follow after. 

“Shouldn’t you be at school,” he asks when his mouth remembers how words work. 

Stiles stops scooping a helping of mac and cheese onto his plate to stare at him with a disbelieving expression. “Some things are more important.” 

It’s not quite the answer Derek was looking for, because it doesn’t really answer anything at all, but he doesn’t comment. Instead he joins Stiles at the table and eats with him in silence. It would be nice having the company if it wasn’t for the fact that Stiles just stares at him while he eats, scrutinizing every move that he makes. It’s unnerving to say the least. 

When they’ve finished their meal, Derek is ready to bring up how unusual this whole night had been, but Stiles doesn’t give him a chance. He gathers up their plates, rinses everything out, and then tells Derek to follow him.

“Where are we going?” 

Stiles doesn't answer, just continues to lead them through the house until he’s pushing open the door to Derek’s bedroom. Without hesitating, Stiles kicks off his shoes and clambers onto the bed as if he has done it thousands of times before.

Derek decides that he’s definitely gone crazy. “I-. What?”

Smiling up at him, Stiles pats the bed at his side. “Come on, Sourwolf. You need some sleep.”

Staying rooted in his spot by the door, Derek frowns over at him and tries to make sense of everything that’s happening. “I don’t-. Stiles, what’s going on here?”

“Derek.” His says his name softly, in reverence. “The betas have been telling me about how you haven’t been able to sleep in weeks. My dad has called me more than once wondering if I knew what was going on with you. Even Scott texted me about it after he saw you at Melissa’s birthday last weekend.”

Scrubbing his hands through his hair, Derek sighs. “I don’t know what’s going on, okay. I just-. I can’t sleep. And I know it’s a problem. I’ll talk to Carol about it, see what she suggests I should do. I probably should have done it before but-.”

“It’s okay.” Rising up off of the bed, Stiles crosses the floor until he’s close enough to grab Derek’s hands and press them to his chest. “Derek, it’s okay. Lydia and I did some research, and we think we might have figured out what’s been going on. Or, at least we have a theory about what’s happening. But we can talk about that later. For now, please just come lay down.”

Derek wants to protest, and he’s ready to demand answers. But then Stiles tilts his head to the side and says, “Derek, it was a long drive to get here, and I’m tired. Please, just trust me.”

That’s all it takes for Derek to allow Stiles to tug him forward. Because if there is one truth that he believes without a doubt, it’s that he trusts Stiles and will follow him anywhere. And if he thinks that it will help, Derek will believe him. 

Climbing under the covers with Stiles feels more natural than it should, even as he makes himself comfortable without hesitation, drooping his body over Derek’s and resting his head over his heart. His scent is all warmth, a curling sort of sweetness, and it relaxes every muscle in Derek’s body. He doesn’t even have time to marvel about Stiles being right before he drifts off to sleep. 

\----------

Derek can’t tell what time it is when he wakes up, only that the sun has already risen. The bed beside him is empty, but when he rolls over into the vacant space, the sheets are still warm. He breathes in Stiles’ scent for a drawn out moment, enjoying the way that their scents smell all mingled together and marveling over how relaxed his body feels. Everything is lighter. But while he wants to close his eyes and let sleep take him again, he hears the clatter of pots from the kitchen and rises to find out what Stiles is up to now, and figure out why it’s important enough that he would get out of Derek’s bed to do it. 

Sure enough, Derek finds him in the kitchen, humming under his breath while he cracks eggs into the skillet on the stove. He’s wearing a pair of Derek’s sweats and one of his tee shirts, and Derek has to close his eyes at the way their scents intertwine.

“There’s coffee in the pot,” Stiles greets without turning around. His voice is still sleep mused, just rough enough that it makes Derek’s hands shake. It’s made worse when Stiles smiles at him over his shoulder. “I was hoping I could finish this before you woke up. How do you feel?”

Derek allows a smile to pull at his lips. “Better.” He clears his throat after a moment when neither of them look away. “I-. Thank you.”

The smile on Stiles’ face grows. “Of course, Derek. Hey, why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring this over to the table when it’s finished.”

Doing what he says, Derek sips at his coffee while he waits for Stiles to finish breakfast. When a plate heaping with eggs and potatoes is placed before him and Stiles joins him at the table, Derek finally asks about the research that Stiles and Lydia did.

“At first, we were looking for some spell that would make it impossible for you to find rest. There are a lot of them out there, but as we combed through them, they didn’t really fit what was happening with you. Besides, we knew that if you had sensed some sort of threat in Beacon Hills, someone who would be able to cast one of these spells on you, then you would have shared it with us. Instead we switched our focus to some of the different diseases that werewolves can be affected by - which are all horrifying, by the way. I’m so glad that they hardly show up anymore, because I have read far too much about puss and blood and-.”

“Stiles!” The younger man trails off, looking sheepish.

“Sorry. That’s not really breakfast appropriate, is it? Anyway, Lydia had found this journal about anchors and was just flipping through it when she came across several documented cases that laid out different adverse effects that a werewolf, specifically an alpha, can feel if they go too long without their anchor. All of these cases documented how the restless feeling would eventually intensify enough that everyday aspects of werewolf's life, like their sleep schedule for example, would become messed up. We thought it was only referring to wolves that didn’t have an anchor at all, but that that wasn’t the case. No, this actually has more to do with an alpha werewolf not being around their anchor.” Derek nearly spills his coffee when he puts the pieces together. The stumble makes Stiles grin. “I know right. Your wolf was restless because I’ve been staying at school and haven’t been around at all, and it was feeling a detachment that-.”

“No.” The word slips out of his mouth before he can consider the implications of this conversation. He knows exactly what was happening now, and it has nothing to do with anchors. 

“What? No, Derek, I-.”

“You’re wrong. The research is wrong.” He leans back in his chair and closes his eyes at the glare Stiles sends him. “Restlessness like that is not triggered when an alpha misses his anchor.”

“Dude, if you would just hear me out-.”

“No. I know what this is, okay. I-. I didn't see it before, but I understand now.”

He can hear the frown in Stiles voice without opening his eyes. “Oh yeah, smart guy? Then tell me, what has been wrong with you? And why is it that, apparently, having me here made the problems go away?”

He considers not saying anything, considers just for a brief moment, keeping that to himself. But it wouldn’t be fair to do that, not now that he knows. So instead, he opens his eyes, meets Stiles’ gaze head on, and says, “Mates. It’s not about anchors. It’s about mates.”

Nothing happens, not at first. He stares at Stiles and Stiles stares right back, mouth pinched down in confusion. And then it’s like everything happens at once. Stiles drops his fork, pushes his plate away, and hits his hands on the table.

“Wait, you’re telling me that I’m your mate? You couldn’t sleep for months because you were missing your mate, and I’m just now finding out that it’s me?” His voice is lined with a brutal anger.

It makes Derek flinch, though he keeps his voice calm when he responds. “I didn’t know, Stiles. Finding your mate isn’t about finding that one perfect person to give your life meaning. It’s about choice. Before a mating bond can even begin to be established, a werewolf has to _choose_ their person. Traditionally, a couple will discuss the possibility of becoming mates well before any part of the process will begin.”

Stiles furrows his brows in confusion. “So, what? A werewolf just decides, ‘yes, that’s the person that I want to be with’ and voila, a mating bond is formed?”

It’s a strange route for their conversation to go, but Derek will gladly take it instead of answering more pointed questions. “No. It’s not that easy. Otherwise, anytime a werewolf started dating someone they would end up becoming mates. Finding a mate is primal. It takes time and continuous effort for a pair to reach the point where even discussing the _possibility_ is acceptable. That’s why it’s not a guarantee that every werewolf will find a mate at all.”

It takes Stiles a moment to respond. “But I am your mate, right?” Derek nods, a shallow movement. “And that means that you made that choice, right?”

Ah, here they go. These were the questions that Derek had been expecting. “Yes, that’s what that means.”

“But you didn’t know what was going on, why you couldn’t sleep?”

“It was an unconscious decision.” That makes Stiles flinch, and Derek rushes to explain. “It makes sense though; I trust you more than I have trusted anyone since my family has died, with myself and with my pack.” Stiles crosses his arms over his chest, closing off his posture while he sits there and watches Derek talk. It’s unnerving to say the least. “You keep me level headed when I need to be, make me laugh when things get too serious; you keep my wolf human. It makes sense that the wolf would recognize that.”

“Wow.” The emotion has bleed from his voice. “That is quite the declaration, buddy.”

Derek sighs. He rubs at his face, suddenly exhausted again. “Stiles, now that I know what’s happening, I do have some control over it. The bond isn’t complete yet, which means that, given time, it will go away. If that’s what you want, it will disappear.”

His expression is unreadable, when he demands, “Is that what you want?”

Not wanting to lie, Derek admits plainly, “No. Not at all.” He’s too tired to keep what he’s been feeling to himself, and Stiles deserves to know anyway since he’s been dragged into this whole thing. “Just because the wolf made the choice without me recognizing it, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t what I want. The bond would only respond if we picked you together. Like I said, it’s primal, but it’s still a choice.”

The kitchen is silent while Stiles lets that sink in. When he doesn’t say anything, Derek sighs and stands up, picking up their plates and taking them to the sink. He hears Stiles’ chair scrape against the floor as he gets to his feet, but he doesn’t turn around. 

“Does that mean that you like me?”

It’s impossible to detect whether or not Stiles thinks that’s a good thing, so Derek doesn’t even try to guess. Instead he just says, “yes,” and keeps rinsing the dishes. 

Warm arms curl around his waist, and Derek is struck so suddenly with how sweet and happy Stiles’ scent is. “Stupid wolf,” he murmurs into the space between Derek’s shoulder blades. “This whole time, I thought that my feelings were one sided because you never said anything. We could have gotten together years ago.”

Derek dries his hands and turns around. Stiles smiles at him, eyes so bright, and Derek knows without a doubt that he doesn’t just like Stiles. He loves him, and he hadn’t even realized that before. 

Before he can say anything else, Derek leans forward far enough that their lips can seal together. Stiles tastes like butter and coffee, and Derek relishes in their warmth, enjoying several slow kisses before he manages to pull away and bury his nose in the curve of Stiles’ neck, gasping in their combined scent. 

Stiles brings his hands up to curl in Derek’s hair, massaging his scalp. They stand there together in the kitchen for a long moment, before Stiles realizes something. “Wait, if your insomnia was caused by the mate bond because we weren’t together, does that mean that we’re never going to be able to be away from each other? Because, as nice as that seems right now, I do actually have to go back to school and-.”

Derek huffs a laugh into the curve of Stiles’ neck, relishing the way that it makes the boy shiver. “No. That happened because the wolf wasn’t getting an answer. I wasn’t denying the presence of the bond itself, but we hadn’t accepted it either. And that made the wolf restless. It needed an answer, but I wasn’t listening. Hell, I didn’t even know what was happening at all. I’ve known for quite some time how I’ve felt about you, but that was never an indication that we would have the possibility to bond.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good to know. So now things will be better?”

This is where the conversation gets tricky, trickier than it has been already. “Not quite. Just because we know what’s happening, and just because we’re both on board with the bond being completed, there are still certain steps that need to be taken before the bond will be stabilized and complete.”

He feels Stiles trying to pull away from him, but keeps his arms around his waist locked tight. “Derek, you have to let me go. It sounds like we have work to do.”

He shakes his head. “No. Werewolves mate for life, Stiles. And before you give me that crap about already knowing what you want, I need you to think about it. Because it’s a huge commitment.”

When he pulls back this time, Derek lets him go. But Stiles doesn’t move far. All he does is step back enough to bring his hands up to Derek’s face, cupping his cheeks. “Derek. I may not be a werewolf, but I understand commitment, okay. Even though it seemed like there would never be anything more between us than what we already had, I had already choose you. And maybe it sounds a little crazy, because I’m only twenty two, but I know that you’re what I want. Forever. If you want to wait to complete the bond, that’s fine. But just know that I’m ready whenever you are.”

His heartbeat doesn’t waver, and as much as Derek wants it, as much as he wants Stiles, he also wants to take things slow. “Go on a date with me,” he murmurs, turning his head to place a kiss in the center of Stiles’ palm. “Let me court you right, please. I want-. I want to do this the right way.”

The edge in Stiles’ eyes softens into a look so full of fondness that it’s nearly heartbreaking. How he couldn’t see that Stiles cared for him too, he’ll never quite understand. “Okay, sourwolf. We can take our time.” He kisses Derek gently before pulling back and rubbing their noses together. “But just so you know, I’m still sleeping here tonight. That was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks, okay. Just try getting rid of me.”

Derek snorts, tightening the hold he has on Stiles’ waist. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

When Stiles bursts into delighted laughter, Derek captures it with his mouth.

\------------

By the time that Stiles leaves for school four days later, their mate bond is complete, a stable hum that even Stiles can feel with his human senses. And Derek still misses him, but he feels content knowing that he’ll always have him. He doesn’t have problems sleeping after that.


End file.
